


Generosity Provides

by dracoqueen22



Series: And Other Virtues [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Campaign 2 (Critical Role), Established Relationship, Fjorclay Week 2020, M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23744095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracoqueen22/pseuds/dracoqueen22
Summary: Fjord notices things, too. And he notices that Caduceus needs to look after himself a bit more.For FjorClay Week 2020, Day One, "Battle Couple/Post Battle"
Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Fjord
Series: And Other Virtues [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1704739
Comments: 6
Kudos: 140





	Generosity Provides

Warmth washes over Fjord, followed by a ticklish tingle, and the last of his aches and pains vanish. He feels the smile of the Wildmother like sunshine on the crown of his head, and though he hadn’t noticed them, a few tiny scratches on his arm fade into nothing.  
  
The battle had been more of a skirmish. These days, a few dire badgers are nothing the Mighty Nein can't handle, but one had gotten past Fjord’s guard when he'd been aiming at the largest of them bearing down on Caleb, and weak or not, badger claws are sharp. It cut right through a gap in his armor, slicing under his arm.  
  
"Thanks Caduceus," Jester says as she feeds little niblets to Sprinkle, looking none the worse for wear despite having been the one to stumble on the dire badgers first. There are a few rips in her cloak, but a quick Mending cantrip takes care of those.  
  
"Oh yeah, thanks," says Beau, like an afterthought, though she doesn't mean it that way. She's lounging near Jester, flopped on the leaf-littered ground, the claw marks on her arm healed to tiny red lines.  
  
She'd taken that blow for Jester.  
  
Unsurprising.  
  
"Oh, it's no trouble," says Caduceus, and Fjord's belly does that little flip-flop it always does when he hears Caduceus' voice.  
  
"The hut will be ready in a moment," Caleb offers from nearby as he methodically stakes out the perfect location and begins the ritual which will create their protective bubble for the night.  
  
"Take your time. I don't think those badgers wanna mess with us anymore," Beau drawls. It’s hard to tell if she’s serious, or genuinely annoyed. She really needs to work on her tone.  
  
Fjord makes a mental note of it.  
  
"They definitely don't want to mess with you, Beau," Jester says, poking Beau in one of her envious deltoids. "I think you punched that one so hard his momma felt it."  
  
They laugh.  
  
Caduceus picks his way through their gathered friends, past Nott fiddling with her crossbow because it had jammed on her earlier, and past Yasha, carefully running a whetstone over her blade.  
  
"There you are," Caduceus says with a slow smile.  
  
"Here I am." Fjord pats the empty space beside him, which he'd left specifically for his -- boyfriend? lover? Partner? -- he’s still looking for the right term. "Was I lost?"  
  
"No. I think it's just a thing people say to each other." Caduceus sits, laying his staff beside him, armor clanking a little until he clicks the buckles loose and slides off the heavy chestplate. His shoulder slump with relief as he rolls his neck, trying to ease the tension gathered there.  
  
There's a cut on his cheek.  
  
Fjord brushes his thumb under it, swiping away a few droplets of blood. "You didn't fix this?"  
  
"Jester needed it more." Caduceus sweeps his hair over one shoulder. He gives Fjord another one of those soft, slow smiles. "It's just a scratch."  
  
It's always just a scratch. Until it isn't.  
  
Caduceus gets mortally injured a lot with them, more so than most. Used to be it was Caleb they had to watch out for, but Caleb sticks to the back more often than not, while Caduceus runs into the fray to pick them up and put them back together. He's like a magnet to their enemies. They always aim for him.  
  
And he always thinks of the rest of them first.  
  
"It'll be gone by morning. Mostly," Caduceus says.  
  
Fjord makes a non-committal noise and reaches up, dragging his fingers through Caduceus' hair, claws gentle over his scalp. Caduceus groans quietly, his ears sinking down with delight. He leans in toward Fjord almost unconsciously until he catches himself and gives Fjord a quiet, embarrassed glance.  
  
It’s always hardest for Caduceus to ask for it when he needs it most, as if he’s not allowed to take care of himself until he’s sure no one else needs him.  
  
"Lap's open. If you want it," Fjord says.  
  
Caduceus slants him a knowing look. "I do," he says, and shifts around, until he pillows his head on Fjord's thigh, hair spilling in a pink thigh over Fjord’s trousers. "Though it seems to be more for your sake, than mine."  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Mm. Intuition." Caduceus' eyes slit closed, and he tilts his head into the stroke of Fjord's fingers, the familiar paths he's learned since the first time he'd touched Caduceus like this. "You all right?"  
  
Fjord wants to kiss him.  
  
"You fixed me up. I'm fine," Fjord says, and he concentrates, reaching for the place within him, where the touch of the Wildmother blooms like a knot of warmth and comfort.  
  
He draws it up and out, focusing, and when his fingers stroke over Caduceus' cheek, they brush gently over the cut. Melora's warmth seeps from his fingertips, the cut sealing up and healing over, without leaving so much as a scar. It's not much, Fjord's devotion isn't as strong as it could be yet, but he -- and her favor -- will get stronger yet.  
  
Caduceus hums and looks up at him. "You didn't have to do that."  
  
"Yes, I did." Fjord tucks some hair behind Caduceus' ear, taking the opportunity to tickle it until it flicks out of irritation. "You take care of us, so I should take care of you." His face heats a little. "It makes sense, right?"  
  
Caduceus gives him a long look, and then he smiles, and gods, Fjord wants to kiss him so much. "Sure," he says. "Feels nice."  
  
"It's not much," Fjord admits. Because Caduceus puts them back together from the worst wounds, the terriblest poisons. He guards their lives, dulls mortal blows, and keeps an eye for them in the battlefield.  
  
Healing a small wound is nothing in the face of that.  
  
"It's perfect." Caduceus grabs his hand, pulls it in range to lay a kiss on Fjord's knuckles, scarred as they are. "This works, too."  
  
The tips of Fjord's ears burn. "If you say so."  
  
"I just did actually." Caduceus chuckles and puts Fjord's hand back on his hair. "You can keep going if you want."  
  
He does, in fact, want. So he threads his fingers through Caduceus' hair -- picking out a stray leaf and petal which managed to find their way into the long strands -- and picks up his rhythm once more.  
  
"You'll get stronger," Caduceus murmurs as he closes his eyes, and fully relaxes under Fjord's touch.  
  
"I'm not worried about that."  
  
"Yes, you are."  
  
Fjord exhales a sigh and smiles. "Yes, fine. I am."  
  
Caduceus grins, and one eye peeks open in a rare show of mischief. "In the meantime, however, I've heard there is one thing which also helps with healing."  
  
Fjord lifts his eyebrows. "And what's that?"  
  
"He wants you to kiss him, Fjord!" Jester says from too far away, but also too close.  
  
Fjord glares at her, as she giggles and nudges Beau with an elbow, who nudges back, a little harder than she intended probably.  
  
"Stop being nosy," Fjord says.  
  
"Stop being gross in public," Beau retorts, and promptly flips him off.  
  
"They don't really have a choice right now, Beau. Besides, do we count as public?" Jester asks, elbowing Beau again, and she must have jabbed Beau good, because their monk coughs and rubs at her ribs.  
  
"Ow."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Fjord sighs and returns his attention to Caduceus, whose face is creased with mirth. "She's not wrong," Caduceus says as he sits up and leans into Fjord's space. "I do want you to kiss me."  
  
Fjord tilts his head up, and then up a little more -- Caduceus is just too damn tall. "That's a myth, you know."  
  
"All myths hold a little bit of truth to them," Caduceus says, and he bends down so Fjord can kiss him, like he's been wanting to do since the skirmish ended, and Caduceus had barely avoided the swipe of the badger's claws.  
  
Fjord threads his fingers through Caduceus' hair and keeps him close for the kiss, their mouths moving together, the brief taste of Caduceus' tongue on the seam of his lips. It can't be anything more than this, not here and now, but this is good. This is perfect.  
  
Sometimes, Fjord can scarcely believe how lucky he is.  
  
Until a branch cracks under the weight of someone's boot -- it had to be deliberate -- and Fjord pulls away from Caduceus to see Yasha standing nearby, awkwardly shifting, but smiling indulgently.  
  
"The, uh, hut is ready," she says, pointing over her shoulder with a thumb. "If you two want to, um, join us. Or not, I mean, you might like it out here for a bit."  
  
"Thank you, Miss Yasha," Caduceus says, because he seems to be immune to embarrassment.  
  
"Sure," she says, and because she's Yasha, she stands there for another awkward moment before she turns and leaves, ducking into the hut where everyone else has gone as well.  
  
"I think this technically counts as privacy now," Caduceus says.  
  
Fjord laughs and presses his forehead to Caduceus' clavicle, slipping an arm around his -- lover? partner? boyfriend? they really need to figure this out -- waist. "Guess that means you should kiss me again."  
  
"I think it does." Caduceus hums. He leans in and does just that, slanting their lips together.  
  
Warmth blossoms in the middle of Fjord's chest, not unlike the drizzling warmth of Caduceus' healing prayers, and he smiles into the kiss, deepening it only as much as he dares. They're alone, for a few precious moments before they have to join the others, and Fjord plans to soak up every second he can.  
  
He has to get stronger, to prove his devotion so he can call on Melora when he needs. Someone needs to watch out for Caduceus the way he looks out for them, and Fjord plans to be that someone.  
  
He wants to hold on to this as long as he can.  
  


****

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback, as always, is very welcome and appreciated!


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